


A shot at love

by Winxatu



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M, Mindy Lahiri Danny Castellano Dandy TheMindyProject
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2014-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-16 12:29:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2269737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winxatu/pseuds/Winxatu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny knows he has made a mistake. Thing is his fear of losing Mindy forever may stop him from trying again...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First fan fic. Be gentle ;) Would love feedback though.

Chapter 1

She was in awe of the moonlight from her point of view just outside her apartment. The light breeze made it one of those perfect evening's seen in those oh so typical romcoms. The man across from her looked deep into her eyes and smiled. She gave a shy smile back in return. He moved closer and gently brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His touch was nothing short of electric.  
"I love you" he says.  
Those three short words send her heart into the stratosphere and she cannot contain herself. "I love you too!" she says throwing herself into his arms. She smells his intoxicating cologne and it nearly undoes her. He cups her face gently and she looks deep into his eyes. He leans closer and she can practically taste him. Their lips brush...

"Mindy!"  
"What! What is it Morgan?" Mindy replied rather annoyed and flustered at the same time. She had been reading some cheesy romance novel during her lunch break.  
"Just to say your 14:00 is here" finished Morgan.  
She clearly let the time escape her. She usually prefers her romcoms but since THE breakup, some less painful romance would just have to do. Even if it was from a book.  
"Right, send Mrs Murphy in please" she responded.  
"You ok Dr L?"  
"Yes, yes just fine, now if you can please send in Mrs Murphy?"  
"Right" said Morgan in a not overly convinced tone.  
Since THE breakup things had been tense to say the least and she spent most of her time being overly busy and trying to be as professional as possible with a certain Dr Castellano. He with the smouldering eyes, wicked grin, soft lips, tight ass... "ugh stop it!" she said a little to loud, causing Mrs Murphy to give her a rather weird look. "sorry Mrs Murphy, come in. Let's see how your baby is doing". 

She has been avoiding him. He knew this. He can see it in the way she interacts around the office. Always professional and that was the extent of it. It broke his heart. Had he turned her heart so cold? Surely she could understand his reasoning? It just couldn't work between them. But God, he loved her. It wasn't going to just disappear. That feeling was never going to disappear. There were moments where he thought he would walk right up to her and say he made a big mistake. He was a fool. He loved her and wanted her back. And then reason stepped in. She wouldn't just take him back. It wasn't that easy.  
"That's some deep thinking there little buddy. About a certain colleague perhaps?"  
He hadnt noticed Peter standing in his doorway. "What? No! Just work stuff. What do you want?" he responded.  
"Look, I'm not stupid. This is clearly about Mindy and also clearly about the fact that you're an idiot" Peter said simply.  
Danny was taken by surprise. "Excuse me?"  
"Ok, here is the info, you're an idiot for breaking up with her. She is clearly miserable without you. However.." he paused.  
Danny, for all his not wanting to pay attention to what Peter was saying, responded almost enthusiastically "however what?"  
Peter smiled. "However, she is not going to wait forever for you to realise you've been a complete idiot. So if I were you, I'd pull my finger out my ass and go and get her back".  
He was right. Damnit, he was right. He was, however, not going to say it out loud.  
"Well, thanks for that info, I'll be sure to write that down" was his response. Almost a more sarcastic than he wanted it to come out.  
Peter just shook his head. "Ball is in your court man. Make this shot count". Danny stared at the doorway as Peter left. One shot. Just one more shot. If only his fear of losing her forever wasn't holding him back.


	2. Train rides are complicated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow going, but Im getting there...

The train rides were the worst. How could something so enjoyable at one point in time become something so awkward and sucky? Mindy knew this avoidance of casual after work train conversation could not be avoided. But just seeing him hurt. She swallowed her pride and smiled politely at him.  
Besides, what could talking do? She had all but sworn off love anyway. And chances are he wanted to be with her in “that” way were all but nil. She might as well try and be civil.   
“Long day huh?” was all she could muster by the time she sat down right next to him.

Danny was caught by surprise. “Wh- what?” Had she actually spoken to him? Other than work related conversation?   
“Long day?” Mindy said again, looking rather concerned now. “Y-yeah, it is. Just looking forward to a relaxing evening” he said casually. “Good, yes, me too” she replied. And then the silence between them took over once again.   
It felt like the longest time before the train stopped at their destination. “Well…” Danny began “Have a good evening then” Mindy stated abruptly before he could finish his sentence. She darted off. Danny was left to contemplate whether or not his slowly brewing plan would ever work.

Mindy left the station at such a speed she was pretty much home in no time at all. Why was she in such a hurry to run off like that? Surely the conversation (or lack of) was not that intimidating to her? No, she reckoned. Baby steps is what it is. Baby steps. She had decided she would try to get back to being friends. Although it would never be the same, they could at least be friendly and chat to each other. But it was a slow process. Very slow. But it would work.

The next morning on the train to work both were a little more relaxed. “I get to see the wonderful Mrs Lipskey today” says Danny. “Is that the woman who thinks she has every gynecological disease known to man?” asks Mindy “Yup, she is a bundle of fun” replied Danny. Mindy gave a short laugh. So did he. This was good. This was not tense. This was a work in progress.   
Mindy could feel the tension between them lessening, but time would tell. She was in no hurry. She wasn’t a fool either.  
Danny stole a glance over at Mindy. She looked content. Almost relaxed. Was she trying to rekindle something between them? Or was it just something to lessen the coldness between them? This worried Danny. His brain said that friends would be wonderful, his heart said it would never work. It was love or nothing. The confusion actually made him perspire a little. “Hey Danny, you ok? You look a little bleak” asked Mindy. “Yeah, yeah Im good” he said giving her a small smile.   
With that they made their way to the office.


	3. Your choice...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning.”   
> ― Gloria Steinem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to read your comments about the story so far...

He dreams of her every night. The smell of her, the feel of her skin. Her lips. It always ends the same way. He wakes up before it gets anywhere. The aching disappointment is evident in his pj pants. This has to stop. It has to end. There is only one way. He lays back down in a huff and drifts off into a fitful sleep. 

Mindy arrived at work the next morning, late. She overslept. Again. That and it could be the bottle of wine she practically hoovered down the night before. She thought she had missed Danny on the train but came into work seeing his office looking pretty dark.  
“Dr Castellano not in yet?” she asked trying to sound non plussed. She failed miserably. “Dr C called in a sick day” replied Tamra without looking up from her work.   
“Sick day?”   
Tamra looked up, “yeah, a sick day. Which last I checked is when people are too sick to come in to work?” she stated matter of factly.  
“Yes, Tamra, I know what a sick day is” Mindy shot back. “It’s just he never takes sick days. Weird” she said heading towards her office.

The first thing Mindy noticed when she set foot in her office was the shiny gold envelope sitting prominently on her desk. Her office was locked. How did anyone get in to leave it there? She was about to asked when a text message came through. From Danny. ‘Read the note’ was all it said. She frowned somewhat. What the hell was going on? She headed slowly to the desk and sat down. For some reason she was rather nervous to open it. It obviously was a letter from Danny. She wasn’t ready for whatever might be said in it. Her heart was not prepared for whatever the letter might say. She opened it apprehensively. And there is bold writing said ‘Meet me at Gino’s for lunch’. And smaller at the bottom: ‘Tell no one, come up with some excuse, ok?’

She took that last part as to mean she is supposed to respond. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. It was lunch. It was ok. I mean they were on okish ground. Lunch was not going to be a problem. She took out her cell again and sent a text to Danny saying ‘ok’. And then felt a wave of panic and promptly went to lie down on the floor in the middle of her office. 

Time seemed to slow down. Which made Mindy even more nervous. ‘What the hell Lahiri?’ she admonished herself. ‘Get a grip on yourself woman! It’s just lunch. Colleagues do lunch all the time!’ She was trying to make herself feel better. She could do this. They were friends. It was ok. Right? ‘Right!’ she stated to herself.  
She walked into Gino’s and saw Danny sitting at a table. Her resolve was starting to crumble. She had the urge to run. What was it they always said Fight or Flight? She was in Flight mode. She took a deep breath and said ‘Fight’. 

Danny saw her approaching the table and smiled. She looked nervous, but smiled back. “Glad you could make it” he said simply. “I said I needed pastries. No one seemed to stop me” she said curiously. “They all know better than to stop you if you’re on a pastry run” he laughed. “Hey!” she said trying to conceal her laughter.   
Just then, the waiter arrived. He took their orders and was on his way.  
“This…is nice” started Danny. “Um, yeah, this place is kinda nice. Walked by it so many times and have just never bothered to go in. Well I guess I’m here now” she said.  
“So, you weren’t freaked out by my note then?” he queried. “Me? Freaked out? Why would I be freaked out? Its not as if we were going to talk about….” she trailed off, not meeting his eyes.   
Danny cleared his throat, and took a deep breath.

“We should talk” was all he said


	4. Lunch for two...spectator seats for more

She didn't hear anything past the word talk. The blood rushing in her ears made it impossible to think. What did 'we need to talk' mean? She wasn't ready, she was feeling short of breath already.."Mindy!"   
"Hmm? What?" was all she could reply.

"Now look, don't go getting all dramatic, I just said let's talk, nothing major.." Danny began "Dramatic?!" (he lit the fire now) "Dramatic?! (he sensed the tirade coming) Oooh nooo buddy (there it was) "This" she pointed into a round about area of herself "is NOT dramatic. I, unlike you, know how to contain my anger. I am serene. (she was lying) I am capable of talking (she was trying hard to convince herself). So, you wanna talk? Let's talk!!" she said, pretty much louder than normal.   
She look around her at the staring faces. "What?! There's no drama here. Carry on with your lunches people!" almost just as loud as her previous rant. "Mindy!" Danny said grabbing her hand. "Can we just sit down and talk?! Please? And for the record? I know how to contain my anger" "Are you kidding me? There are numerous.." "Mindy!" "Fine, since you asked so nicely" she began to sit down. At what point she stood up she had no idea. Either way though? This talk was happening. And she was terrified. 

Danny took a deep breath. "Look Min" he began. He found that she as looking straight at him. Not wavering. So deep into his eyes that he thought he might just lose his nerve. He continued: "I am sorry the way things ended between us.." "The way YOU ended things between us" she countered. He sighed "yes, the way I ended things. And I just want to say I am sorry I hurt you and..."   
"Then why kiss me on that stupid plane? Why hold my hand and make me feel like the most special person in the world to you? Why did you have to drag me into this if you didn't want to be in it in the first place?"   
Tears were beginning to form in her eyes now and he was afraid he was losing her again, this time for good. He couldn't, wouldn't let that happen, not this time. 

"Because I love you!" He blurted out. He looked around shyly and then more composed "because I'm in love with you" he said. "And I was afraid. Afraid that I was in this so deep that if we didn't make it I would lose everything. You mean so much to me and I just couldn't risk losing you forever. I mean face it, I'm not the easiest person to get along with" he finished. 

She was silent for the longest time. In the whole time they were in the cafe, this was the most quiet she'd been. It was concerning. He couldn't read the expression on her face. It was almost neutral. The fire in her eyes seemed to had dimmed. A solitary tear escaped one. She looked down onto the table for what seemed like an eternity. When she looked up he could now see the utter heartbreak in her eyes. She looked directly at him, teary eyes boring into his soul. She said four particular words which shattered him:

"I don't believe you".


	5. And then the rain came...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The train to SUCCESS usually runs on the track of DETERMINATION – Poh Yu Khing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, nearly there folks. Thank you to all have commented and liked this so far. You all are wonderful.

She ran out the café. She didn’t look back. She didn’t care where she was running to anyway. Although it would have been a good idea to know since her feet were now killing her with the heels she had on. She turned around briefly to make sure she wasn’t being followed. Did she want to be followed? She couldn’t decide. He said the words. Those three little words. But that look in his eye. Was there doubt? Or maybe fear. Fear that she would react exactly like she did earlier. Whatever it was, she couldn’t believe him. Its like there was a block.  
When he broke it off with her it felt like a part of her was ripped out. The part that believed that love happens for everyone in some way. That love could be attained, eventually. Some take longer than others, but it did eventually happen. She thought that with Danny, this was her eventually. Evidently not.

The clouds looked darker than they were when she stepped into the café. As is sensing her mood. She heard the sound of distant thunder and thought of how apt it would be if a full on downpour had to hit now. Mostly to wash away her hurt and her pain. She eventually found herself outside the Empire State Building. Of all places. ‘What the hell Lahiri’ she chastised herself. This building, of all places, was definitely not where she needed to be. But she had been walking around for the last hour and a half. She needed to rest and think. She entered the building. The thunder was closer now.

Danny didn’t know how long he sat in the café for. He was dumbfounded. “I don’t believe you” still repeating in his head. How could she not believe him? He put everything he had in telling her that. Was she just so broken that she wouldn’t believe him? Does she really think nobody would love her?  
He got to his feet. He wasn’t going to give up so easily. Not this time. He was determined to make sure she knew exactly how much he loved her.

She was heaving at this point. She didn’t think she could make it. She collapsed right there in the middle of the stairwell. “Why…the…hell…would they..choose to…repair the….elevator today?” she huffed. More importantly what the hell had possessed her to think she could manage to climb 102 floors? 102 damn floors! And yet she was still determined to make it to the top. Why was it necessary? What did she need to prove? Whatever it was this need to get to the top and see New York City below and feel that freedom was important to her. She slowly got up. Took off her shoes this time and slowly made her way further up the stairs. “Im crazy” she mumbled to herself. 

The thunder rumbled and the small droplets were starting to fall from the sky. Falling more and more forcefully with each rumble.


	6. And the rain came

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all comes down to this...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all for the likes and wonderful comments about my first fic. Its all appreciated.

She could hear the rain pouring down now. But on occasion her heavy breathing and her heartbeat drowned that out. ‘I made it’ she breathed. She stood at the top of the stairs to try and gain her composure but she all but fell through the doors onto the deck. Straight into the downpour. The rain was refreshing. The feeling of sadness that was all over her earlier felt like it was being washed away.

“This feels fan…” she looked up. She froze. Its almost as if her mind was playing tricks on her. She blinked and swallowed hard. There, in the pouring rain stood one Daniel Castellano. Soaking wet, with roses in his hand. He was drenched. She didn’t know how long he had been standing there.  
“I knew I would find you here” he said, giving her a one sided grin.

She was about to respond. “No, wait. Let me finish” he started. She closed her mouth and looked him straight in the eye. It was still pouring and neither of the two people standing on top of the Empire State Building seemed bothered.

As the rain soaked them both, Danny began to speak “I know you say you don’t believe me. And I don’t blame you for that either. But I am standing here now, asking you to look at me – in my eyes, and believe me when I say, I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I didn’t have the heart to think that this, you, were my forever. I’m sorry for my stupidity in breaking us up and now wanting us to be something again. I know this isn’t easy but if I have to, Ill spend forever showing you that this” he gestured between them “is real”.

She stood still for the longest time. She needed to breath. She had all these feelings inside her but her heart said one thing and one thing only. She loved him. 

She took a step closer. Almost as if approaching without wanting to surprise. She looked deep into his eyes as if searching for something. He didn’t move. What was she looking for?

She looked deep. His eyes were a haze of brown and his pupils were bright. She looked and as if by some crazy spell, she could swear she saw a spark. Like a warm fire. It made her smile.  
She smiled, seemingly having found what she was looking for. He looked at her and saw the light behind her eyes once more. The light and spark she had lost when he left her. She took a bigger step closer and put her arms around him.  
She hugged him. “Daniel Castellano, I love you. And I would want nothing more than forever with you” she whispered. Both parties were absolutely drenched by now. The rain continued to pour as they looked at each other and softly kissed on top of THE most romantic building in the world.

“Wait a minute” she breathed, as if something had struck her. “How’d you get up here so fast??” Danny smiled and pulled her in for another lingering kiss…


End file.
